The invention relates to a process for the preparation of one or more atmospheric hydrocarbon oil distillates from an atmospheric hydrocarbon oil residue.
In the atmospheric distillation of crude petroleum, as employed on a large scale in the refineries for the preparation of atmospheric hydrocarbon oil distillates, a residual oil is obtained as a by-product. In some cases this residual oil is suitable to serve as base material for the manufacture of lubricating oil, but often the residual oil, which as a rule contains considerable quantities of sulfur, metals and asphaltenes, is only eligible for use as fuel oil.
In view of the growing need for atmospheric hydrocarbon oil distillates various processes were proposed in the past which aimed at converting the residual oils into atmospheric distillates. Examples of such processes are catalytic cracking, thermal cracking, gasification in combination with hydrocarbon synthesis, coking and hydrocracking. The use of the residual oils per se as feed for each of these processes has considerable drawbacks, which seriously hamper their application on a commercial scale. Thus, for instance, hydrocracking will lead to a rapid catalyst deactivation, a high gas production, and a high consumption of hydrogen.
In view of the above and taking into account the fact that in the atmospheric distillation of crude petroleum about half of the crude oil is left behind as distillation residue, it will be clear that there is an urgent need for a process which offers the possiblity of converting, in an economically acceptable way, atmospheric hydrocarbon oil residues into atmospheric hydrocarbon oil distillates, such as gasolines.
Since in practice hydrocracking has proved to be an excellent process for the conversion of heavy hydrocarbon oil distillates such as gas oils into light hydrocarbon oil distillates such as gasolines, the applicant has carried out an investigation in order to find out to what extent hydrocracking can be used for the conversion of atmospheric hydrocarbon oil residues into atmospheric hydrocarbon oil distillates. The present invention relates to certain combinations of hydrocracking together with catalytic hydrotreatment and deasphalting resulting in a process eminently suitable for this purpose.